Improvement in hot-air, steam, and water-gauge



-cating that caution must be exercised. 4 v water becoming too low, theboiling point of the water should be raised, and the water itself becomesuperd @Minh @anni `@frn JAMES c. WALKER, or' 'WAGO yVILLAGE, TEXAS.-

'i ,Laim Patent No. 69,729, daad 00am s, 1867.

IMISROVEMENT IN HOT-AIB., STEAM, AND WATER-GAUGE.

@its Stigihulvnfanh 'in in time intima zitnit mit making part nf tigetime.

To ALL wHoM yrr MAY ooNeERN;

Be it known that I, JAMES C.` WALKER, of Waco village, in the county ofMcLennan, and State of Texas, have invented a new and improvedz- Hot-AirHarmonic Steam and Water-Gauge; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specificatiom and inwhich- Figure I is a vertical cross-section of a boiler containingmyapparatus.

Figure 2 is a horizon-tal longitudinal section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the twogures.

In this invention Ysereral tubes pass through the boiler, some under andsome above the water,'through which currents of air `are induced by theheatof the water or steam surrounding them. These currents are made tosound musical notes, 'and thus indicate the condition of the steamandivater in the boiler.

In order that others skilled in the art to which my invention appertainsmay be enabled to make and use the same, I will proceed to-describe itin detail. A

In the drawings', A represents the boiler, and L, M, N, and C) are fourtubes, about an inch in diameter, passing-horizontally throughjtheboilerv at different heights, two above and two'below the water level,and, if neces sary, at different points in the length of the boiler. Thetubes may pass transversely or longitudinally through the-boiler, andthey may be convoluted or enlarged into boxes or chambers within `theboiler, if necessary, in order to increase the heated surface actingupon the air within them. One end of the tubes is bent upwards, andrises eight or ten feet above the boiler. The opposite end may beexpanded, as at m m, to admit the air freely, and may, if desirable, beextended intopa cold-air chamber, or to the outside of the building.Near their uppervextremity, at o o v, all these tubes are provided withvalves, which will under ordinary circumstances remain'closed, but whenthe tubes are greatly heated and a powerful current of hot air isstarted in them, will open and allow it to escape through the top df thetubes. c c c are musical instruments, whistles, or reeds of diferentmusical pitch, fixed in the tubes land easily operated by the ascendingcurrents of air. When I use four tubes, as shown' in the drawings, Iwould ordinarily attach four reeds, whose whole comi pass would be anoctave, the reeds attached to the two upper pipes that pass through thesteuxn-chest uttering the low notes, do mz', and the reeds attached'tothe two lower tubes Athat pass through the water uttering the highernotes, sol do, of the musical scale.

The operation of such an instrument will be follows: The strength of thecurrent of hot air generated in the tubes will depend entirely upon thevheat to which the tubes are subjected, as they come in contact with thewater and steam in the boiler. The valves v v r are made to open by thedirect expansion of the air in the bent tubes, and by the force ofthecurrent thus formed impinging against them, just as the ordinarysafety"d valve of boilers is opened, and are adjusted so as to open, oneby a current of a certain degree of force, another by a current vofgreater force, 82e., &c.,'beng simply safety-valves applied to the tubesand properly adjusted. AIn ordinaryV safe Aconditions of the steam inthe boiler, the expansion of the air in the.tubes L M N O will not besufficient to open any of the valves, and no sound will be emitted; butif the steam become in any degree superheated, thehtwo upper tubes L andwill open their valves and sound the low notes, indi- If in consequenceof dangerous pressure within the boiler, or of the heated,the lowertubes N and O will open their high shrill notes and sound the alarm farand wide, thus indicating the height of the water in the boiler, 'aswell as the condition or temperature ofthe water and steam, It will beobserved that if the steam or water4 in the boiler becomes heated beyondits ordinary saferunning temperature, the valves will at once open andmake known the fact; but any additional pressure of the steam in theboiler willpause the'heat of both steam and water .to be increased, andwill therefore be uncrringly indicated by the` apparatus. I I

I may, instead of the particular arrangement above described, usenotesof any other pitch than those designated. ,I may also entirely dispensewith theralves in the upper pipes L M, permitting them to sound constantconcordant notes when the hoileris safe, and indicating the danger bythe opening of the notes of the pipes N and.

I do not desire to confine myself to any particular arrangement orcombination of sounds to give the alarm at any required condition of thestream pressure in the boiler, but desire to be at liberty to use anynr'rangoi ment of them which may suit my fancy or be found better inpractice than that above indicated.

In operation this instrument will be found an exceedingly delicate andperfect indicator of the condition of tbe boiler. Not only will it showthe pressure of the steam by the opening and closing of the valves, andthe fact that the notes are sounded or not, but while the notes arcsounding the force and shrillness with which their tones are emittedWill indicate with perfect accuracy to the ear of the engineer orworkmen employed about the building the exact condition of the heatedsteam and water, and every change in that condition.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The pipes L M N O, passing through steam-boilers as above described,as and for the purpose sct forth.

2. The combination of the boiler A, the pipes L M N O, the valves v v ziv, and the reeds o1' whistles n r: c c, f

substantially as and for the purpose specified.

JAS. C. WALKER.

Witnesses:

CnAs. A. PETTIT, SoLoN C. Kenton.

